The following article appeared in The Oregonian on Dec. 16, 1998, p C10
State looks into reports of destructive Asian longhorn beetle
Oregon agriculture officials are pursuing tips from people who say
they've seen the destructive Asian longhorn beetle in the state. The
tree-killing bug, which hitchhikes from China to the United States in solid
wood packing material, has caused infestations in New York and Chicago.
An article in The Oregonian's Science section on Dec. 9 brought more than
60 calls to the Department of Agriculture's Plant Division. Officials have
asked Oregonians to keep an eye out for the beetle, which hasn't been
officially spotted so far. Alan Mudge, an entomologist with the division,
said some of the tips came from people who probably confused the Asian
lnghorn beetle with native Oregon lookalikes such as the Oregon sawyer and
the banded alder borer. But others, he said, sound well founded because they
seem to be associated with maples, one of the Asian beetle's favorite dishes,
and with shipping material. Mudge said the division will follow the
leads as time permits. The Asian beetles prefer living hardwoods, especially
native ornamental maples, poplars, aspens, cottonwoods, willows, buckeyes --
or horse-chesnuts - and birches. They can live on other species, such as
alders, elms, ashes and fruit trees. The beetles don't eat conifers, such as
fir, pine and spruce. So people who reported seeing the Asian bugs deep in
the forest probably were mistaken, Mudge said. The beetles are 1 inch to
1.5 inches long, bullet-shaped and glossy black with as many as 20
irregularly shaped white spots. The long antennae have distinct bands of
white and black. The females lay their egs in shallow depressions that they
chew into the bark of trees. The eggs hatch into larvae that bore their way
into the tree by7 chewing tunnels through the wood, causing massive
destruction. Infested trees must be cut down and burned. Beginning
Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will require wooden pallets made
from trees infected with the beetle to be fumigated, heat-treated or doused
with beetle-stopping preservative before being sent to the United States from
China. People who think they've seen the Asian longhorn beetle should call
the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Plant Division at 503-986- 4644 or
800-525-0137.
Posted as a courtesy by
Daniel B. Wheeler
http://www.oregonwhitetruffles.com
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